The House of the Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong and Maurice Sendak, 1956 edition.

Written by Meindert DeJong. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. First edition, later printing, 1956. Harper & Brothers.

Chapter One
Rain on the Sampan

"Rain raised the river. Rain beat down on the sampan where it lay in a long row of sampans tied to the riverbank. Rain drummed down on the mats that were shaped in the form of an arched roof over the middle of the sampan. It clattered hard on the four long oars lying on top of the roof of mats.

"The rain found the bullethole in the roof of mats. Thick drops of water dripped through the bullethole onto the neck of the family pig, sleeping on the on the floor of the sampan. The little pig twitched his neck every time a big, cold drop of water hit it, but he went on sleeping.

"Tien Pao looked on in quiet amusement to see how many cold drops it would take to wake the pig. It took nine..."

Front Flap

"The scene of this latest book by Mr. DeJong is China, during the Japanese occupation. Young Tien Pao is alone on his family's sampan when the boat breaks loose from its moorings and is caught by the rushing waters of the river. When the sampan finally lands, Tien Pao is in Japanese territory. With only his pig for company, he starts out on the long and difficult journey back to Hengyang and his parents."

Meindert DeJong (1906 - 1991) was a Dutch-born American author of children's books. His first book, "The Big Goose and the Little White Duck," was published in 1938. His works, often illustrated by Maurice Sendak, earned him the Newbery Medal for "The Wheel on the School" in 1955 and the international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1962 for his lifetime contributions to children's literature.

Maurice Sendak (1928 - 2012) was a visionary American illustrator and author. His most acclaimed book, "Where the Wild Things Are," published in 1963, is a classic in children's literature. Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present earned Sendak the first of seven Caldecott Honor awards. In 1970, he won the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award for his lifetime contribution to children's literature. His other works include the Little Bear series, In The Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, and many others. He also created scenery for theatrical productions, including Brundibar and Nutcracker.

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Condition: Fine/Near Fine. Dust jacket: Light shelf wear; "A Harper Blue Ribbon Book" wrap-around seal. Front flap shows price of $2.75, but while front and back flaps are clipped as part of the jacket design, a larger section of the lower right corner of the front flap was removed. Beige cloth cover boards with red decoration. Stamped "Property of Kennesaw Public School No ___" in the top left corner of front paste-down, however, this is not an ex-library book; there are no library markings, inside or out, or a card pocket. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.

First edition points include jacket design, price, published works listed; later printing indicated by absence of "First Edition" statement on copyright page and the Blue Ribbon Book seal on the jacket.